Traders 'priced out' of £12,000 Christmas market pitches

Traders have claimed they have been priced out of this year's Christmas market after a new operator took over running the event. They told Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson they can no longer afford space at the St George's Plateau attraction, where Anthony Grice was quoted £12,000 to take a stall.

Robinson said he had met business owners to "understand the challenges and the issues that they might have had this year" so the authority could look at different options in future. He confirmed the council had been aware of the price structure offered by the new operator, Underbelly, when it won the contract to run the event, and said the council would receive a share of some income.

But Grice said it felt like local traders' concerns were being "swept under the carpet" during a meeting to discuss the plans. He said: "I asked how many local traders had signed up, and the council didn't know."

Grice added: "These markets should be a chance to showcase the best of what you've got, but not having the 'Scouse soul' there is so annoying."

The dispute highlights tensions between local businesses and the council over how the Christmas market is operated and priced, with traders arguing the new operator's fee structure is out of reach for small local vendors.